第12章
Noteverybodycanperusealloftheseverydiverseauthorswithpleasure。HebeganhispoemontheRomangladiatorialcombats；
indeedhisyears，fourscoreandone，lefthisintellectualeagernessasunimpairedasthatofGoethe。"Acrookedshare，"hesaidtothePrincessLouise，"maymakeastraightfurrow。""OneafternoonhehadalongwaltzwithM-intheballroom。"Speakingof"AllthecharmofalltheMusesOftenfloweringinalonelyword"
inVirgil，headduced，ratherstrangely，thecunctantemramum，saidoftheGoldenBough，intheSixthAEneid。Thechoiceisodd，becausetheSibylhasjusttoldAEneasthat，ifhebedestinedtopluckthebranchofgold，ipsevolensfacilisquesequetur，"itwillcomeoffofitsownaccord，"likethesacredtibranchesoftheFijians，whichbenddowntobepluckedfortheFirerite。Yet，whenthepredestinedAEneastriestoplucktheboughofgold，ityieldsreluctantly(cunctantem)，contrarytowhattheSibylhasforetold。MrConington，therefore，thoughtthephraseasliponthepartofVirgil。"PeopleaccusedVirgilofplagiarising，"hesaid，"butifamanmadeithisowntherewasnoharminthat(lookatthegreatpoets，Shakespeareincluded)。"Tennyson，likeVirgil，mademuchthatwasancienthisown；hisversesareoften，andpurposefully，amosaicofclassicalreminiscences。Buthewasvexedbythehuntersafterremoteandunconsciousresemblances，andfar-fetchedanalogiesbetweenhislinesandthoseofothers。Hecomplainedthat，ifhesaidthatthesunwentdown，aparallelwasatoncecitedfromHomer，oranybodyelse，andheusedaverypowerfulphrasetocondemncriticswhodetectedsuchrepetitions。"Themoaningsofthehomelesssea，"——"moanings"
fromHorace，"homeless"fromShelley。"AsifnooneelsehadeverheardtheseamoanexceptHorace!"Tennyson"smixtureofmemoryandforgetfulnesswasnotsostrangeasthatofScott，andwhenheadaptedfromtheGreek，Latin，orItalian，itwasofsetpurpose，justasitwaswithVirgil。Thebeautifullinescomparingagirl"seyestobottomagatesthatseemto"WaveandfloatIncrystalcurrentsofclearrunningseas，"
heinventedwhilebathinginWales。Itwashishabit，tonotedowninversesuchsimilesfromnature，andtousethemwhenhefoundoccasion。Butthehighercriticism，analysingthesimile，detectedelementsfromShakespeareandfromBeaumontandFletcher。
InJune1891thepoetwentonatourinDevonshire，andbeganhisAkbar，andprobablywroteJuneBrackenandHeather；orperhapsitwascomposedwhen"weoftensatonthetopofBlackdowntowatchthesunset。"HewrotetoMrKipling-
"TheoldesttotheyoungestsingerThatEnglandbore"
(toalterMrSwinburne"slinestoLandor)，praisinghisFlagofEngland。MrKiplingrepliedas"theprivatetothegeneral。"
Earlyin1892TheForesterswassuccessfullyproducedatNewYorkbyMissAdaRehan，themusicbySirArthurSullivan，andthesceneryfromwoodlanddesignsbyWhymper。RobinHood(aswelearnfromMarkTwain)isafavouriteherowiththeyouthofAmerica。MrTomSawyerhimselftook，inMarkTwain"stale，thepartoftheboldoutlaw。
TheDeathofOEnonewaspublishedin1892，withthededicationtotheMasterofBalliol-
"ReadaGreciantaleretoldWhich，castinlaterGrecianmould，QuintusCalaberSomewhatlazilyhandledofold。"
QuintusCalaber，moreusuallycalledQuintusSmyrnaeus，isawriterofperhapsthefourthcenturyofourera。Abouthimnothing，ornexttonothing，isknown。Hetold，insolateanage，theconclusionoftheTaleofTroy，and(inthewriter"sopinion)hasbeenundulyneglectedanddisdained。Hismanner，Iventuretothink，ismoreHomericthanthatofthemorefamousanddoubtlessgreaterAlexandrianpoetoftheArgonauticcycle，ApolloniusRhodius，hisseniorbyfivecenturies。HismaterialswereprobablytheancientandlostpoemsoftheEpicCycle，andthestoryofthedeathofOEnonemaybefromtheLittleIliadofLesches。PossiblypartsofhisworkmaybetextuallyderivedfromtheCyclics，butthetopicisveryobscure。InQuintus，Paris，afterencounteringevilomensonhisway，makesalongspeech，imploringthepardonofthedesertedOEnone。Shereplies，notwiththeTennysonianbrevity；shesendshimbacktothehelplessarmsofherrival，Helen。Parisdiesonthehills；neverdidHelenseehimreturning。Thewood-nymphsbewailParis，andaherdsmanbringsthebitternewstoHelen，whochantsherlament。ButremorsefallsonOEnone。Shedoesnotgo"SlowlydownBythelongtorrent"sever-deepenedroar，"
butrushes"swiftasthewindtoseekandspringuponthepyreofherlord。"FateandAphroditedriveherheadlong，andinheavenSelene，rememberingEndymion，bewailsthelotofhersisterinsorrow。
OEnonereachesthefuneralflame，andwithoutawordoracryleapsintoherhusband"sarms，thewildNymphswondering。Theloversaremingledinoneheapofashes，andthesearebestowedinonevesselofgoldandburiedinahowe。Thisisthestorywhichthepoetrehandledinhisoldage，completingtheworkofhishappyyouthwhenhewalkedwithHallaminthePyreneanhills，thatweretohimasIda。
TheromanceofOEnoneandherdeathcondone，asevenHomerwasapttocondone，thesinsofbeautifulParis，whomthenymphslament，despitetheevilthathehaswrought。ThesilenceoftheveiledOEnone，asshespringsintoherlover"slastembrace，isperhapsmoreaffectingandmorenaturalthanTennyson"s"SheliftedupavoiceOfshrillcommand，"Whoburnsuponthepyre？""
TheStTelemachushastheoldsplendourandvigourofverse，and，thoughwrittensolateinlife，isworthyofthepoet"sprime:-
"EveafterevethathaggardanchoriteWouldhauntthedesolatedfane，andthereGazeattheruin，oftenmutterlow"VicistiGalilaee"；louderagain，Spurningashatter"dfragmentoftheGod，"VicistiGalilaee!"but——whennowBathedinthatluridcrimson——ask"d"IsearthOnfiretotheWest？oristheDemon-godWrothathisfall？"andheardananswer"WakeThoudeedlessdreamer，lazyingoutalifeOfself-suppression，notofselflesslove。"
AndonceaflightofshadowyfighterscrostThedisk，andonce，hethought，ashapewithwingsCamesweepingbyhim，andpointedtotheWest，Andathisearheheardawhisper"Rome，"
Andinhishearthecried"ThecallofGod!"
Andcall"darose，and，slowlyplungingdownThro"thatdisastrousglory，sethisfaceBywasteandfieldandtownofalientongue，Followingahundredsunsets，andthesphereOfwestward-wheelingstars；andeverydawnStruckfromhimhisownshadowontoRome。
Foot-sore，way-worn，atlengthhetouch"dhisgoal，TheChristiancity。"
Akbar"sDreammaybetaken，moreorless，torepresentthepoet"sowntheologyofaraceseekingafterGod，ifperchancetheymayfindHim，andtheclosingHymnwasafavouritewithTennyson。Hesaid，"Itisamagnificentmetre":-
"HYMN。
I。
Onceagainthouflamestheavenward，onceagainweseetheerise。
Everymorningisthybirthdaygladdeninghumanheartsandeyes。
Everymorningherewegreetit，bowinglowlydownbeforethee，TheetheGodlike，theethechangelessinthineever-changingskies。
II。
Shadow-maker，shadow-slayer，arrowinglightfromclimetoclime，Hearthymyriadlaureateshailtheemonarchintheirwoodlandrhyme。
Warblebird，andopenflower，and，men，belowthedomeofazureKneeladoringHimtheTimelessintheflamethatmeasuresTime!"
InthisfinalvolumethepoetcasthishandfulofincenseonthealtarofScott，versifyingthetaleofIlBizarro，whichthedyingSirWalterrecordsinhisJournalinItaly。TheChurchwardenandtheCurateisnotinferiortotheearlierpeasantpoemsinitsexpressionofshrewdness，humour，andsuperstition。AverseofPoetsandCriticsmaybetakenasthepoet"slastwordontheoldfutilequarrel:-
"Thisthing，thatthingistherage，Helter-skelterrunstheage；
MindsonthisroundearthofoursVaryliketheleavesandflowers，Fashion"daftercertainlaws；
Singthouloworloudorsweet，Allatallpointsthoucanstnotmeet，Somewillpassandsomewillpause。
Whatistrueatlastwilltell:
Fewatfirstwillplacetheewell；
Sometoolowwouldhavetheeshine，Sometoohigh——nofaultofthine-
Holdthineown，andworkthywill!
Yearwillgrazetheheelofyear，Butseldomcomesthepoethere，AndtheCritic"srarerstill。"
Stillthelinesholdgood-
"Sometoolowwouldhavetheeshine，Sometoohigh——nofaultofthine。"
Theendwasnowathand。AsenseofweaknesswasfeltbythepoetonSeptember3，1892:onthe28thhisfamilysentforSirAndrewClark；
butthepatientgraduallyfadedoutoflife，andexpiredonThursday，October6，at1。35A。M。TotheverylasthehadShakespearebyhim，andhiswindowswereopentothesun；onthelastnighttheywerefloodedbythemoonlight。ThedescriptionofthefinalscenesmustbereadintheBiographybythepoet"sson。"Hispatienceandquietstrengthhadpoweruponthosewhowerenearestanddearesttohim；wefeltthankfulfortheloveandtheutterpeaceofitall。""Thelifeafterdeath，"Tennysonhadsaidjustbeforehisfatalillness，"isthecardinalpointofChristianity。IbelievethatGodrevealsHimselfineveryindividualsoul；andmyideaofHeavenistheperpetualministryofonesoultoanother。"Hehadlivedthelifeofheavenuponearth，beinginallhisworkaministerofthingshonourable，lovely，consoling，andennoblingtothesoulsofothers，withaministrywhichcannotdie。Hisbodysleepsnexttothatofhisfriendandfellow-poet，RobertBrowning，infrontofChaucer"smonumentintheAbbey。
CHAPTERXI——LASTCHAPTER。
"O，thatPresswillgetholdofmenow，"Tennysonsaidwhenheknewthathislasthourwasathand。Hehadahorrorofpersonaltattle，asevenhisearlypoemsdeclare-
"FornowthePoetcannotdie，Norleavehismusicasofold，ButroundhimerehescarcebecoldBeginsthescandalandthecry。"
Butno"carrion-vulture"haswaited"Totearhisheartbeforethecrowd。"
AboutTennyson，doubtless，thereismuchanecdotage:mostoftheanecdotesturnonhisshyness，hisreallyexaggeratedhatredofpersonalnotoriety，andtheoddandbrusquethingswhichhewouldsaywhenalarmedbyeffusivestrangers。Ithasnotseemedworthwhiletorepeatmorethanoneortwooftheselegends，norhaveIsoughtoutsidetheBiographybyhissonformorethanthebiographerchosetotell。Thereaderswhoareleastinterestedinpoetryaremostinterestedintattleaboutthepoet。Itistheprivilegeofgeniustoretainthefreshnessandsimplicity，withsomeofthefoibles，ofthechild。WhenTennysonreadhispoemsaloudhewasapttobemovedbythem，andtoexpressfranklyhisapprobationwherehethoughtitdeserved。Onlyveryrudimentarypsychologistsrecognisedconceitinthisfreedom；andonlythesamesetofpersonsmistookshynessforarrogance。EffusivenessofpraiseorcuriosityinastrangerisapttoproducebluntnessofreplyinaBriton。"Don"ttalkd-dnonsense，sir，"saidtheDukeofWellingtontothegushingpersonwhopilotedhim，inhisoldage，acrossPiccadilly。OfTennysonMrPalgravesays，"Ihaveknownhimsilenced，almostfrozen，beforetheeagerunintentionaleyesofagirloffifteen。Andunderthestressofthisnervousimpulsecompelledtocontradicthisinnerself(especiallywhenundertheterrorofleonisation……)，hewasdoubtlessattimesbetrayedintoanabruptphrase，acoldunsympatheticexterior；amoment"s"defectoftherose。""Hadhenotbeensensitiveinallthings，hewouldhavebeenlessofapoet。ThechiefcriticismdirectedagainsthismodeoflifeisthatheWAS
sensitiveandreserved，buthecouldanddidmakehimselfpleasantinthesocietyoflespauvresd"esprit。Curiosityalarmedhim，anddrovehimintohisshell:strangerswhomethiminthatmoodcarriedawayfalseimpressions，whichdevelopedintomyths。AstheMasterofBalliolhasrecorded，despitehisshyness"hewasextremelyhospitable，ofteninvitingnotonlyhisfriends，butthefriendsofhisfriends，andgivingthemaheartywelcome。Forunderneathasensitiveexteriorhewasthoroughlygenialifhewasunderstood。"
Inthesepointshewasunlikehisgreatcontemporary，Browning；forinstance，Tennysonnever(Ithink)wastheMaster"sguestatBalliol，mingling，likeBrowning，withtheundergraduates，towhomtheMaster"shospitalitywasfreelyextended。Yet，wherehewasfamiliar，Tennysonwasagaycompanion，notshunningjestorevenparadox。"AsDrJohnsonsays，everymanmaybejudgedofbyhislaughter":butnoBoswellhaschronicledthelaughtersofTennyson。
"Henever，orhardlyever，madepunsorwitticisms"(thoughonepun，atleast，enduresintradition)，"butalwayslivedinanattitudeofhumour。"MrJowettwrites(andnodescriptionofthepoetisbetterthanhis)-
IfIweretodescribehisoutwardappearance，IshouldsaythathewascertainlyunlikeanyoneelsewhomIeversaw。AglanceatsomeofWatts"portraitsofhimwillgive，betterthananydescriptionwhichcanbeexpressedinwords，aconceptionofhisnoblemienandlook。Hewasamagnificentman，whostoodbeforeyouinhisnativerefinementandstrength。Theunconventionalityofhismannerswasinkeepingwiththeoriginalityofhisfigure。Hewouldsometimessaynothing，orawordortwoonly，tothestrangerwhoapproachedhim，outofshyness。Hewouldsometimescomeintothedrawing-roomreadingabook。Atothertimes，especiallytoladies，hewassingularlygraciousandbenevolent。Hewouldtalkabouttheaccidentsofhisownlifewithanextraordinaryfreedom，asatthemomenttheyappearedtopresentthemselvestohismind，thedaysofhisboyhoodthatwerepassedatSomersby，andtheoldschoolofmannerswhichhecameacrossinhisownneighbourhood:thedaysofthe"apostles"atCambridge:theyearswhichhespentinLondon；theeveningsenjoyedattheCockTavern，andelsewhere，whenhesawanothersideoflife，notwithoutakindlyandhumoroussenseoftheridiculousinhisfellow-creatures。Hisrepertoryofstorieswasperfectlyinexhaustible；theywereoftenaboutslightmattersthatwouldscarcelybearrepetition，butweretoldwithsuchlifelikereality，thattheyconvulsedhishearerswithlaughter。Likemoststory-tellers，heoftenrepeatedhisfavourites；but，likechildren，hisaudiencelikedhearingthemagainandagain，andheenjoyedtellingthem。Itmightbesaidofhimthathetoldmorestoriesthananyone，butwasbynomeanstheregularstory-teller。Inthecommonestconversationheshowedhimselfamanofgenius。
TothisdescriptionmaybeaddedanotherbyMrF。T。Palgrave:-
Everyonewillhaveseenmen，distinguishedinsomelineofwork，whoseconversation(totaketheoldfigure)either"smelttoostronglyofthelamp，"orlayquiteapartfromtheirartorcraft。
What，throughalltheseyears，struckmeaboutTennyson，wasthatwhilstheneverdeviatedintopoeticallanguageassuch，whetherinrhetoricorhighlycolouredphrase，yetthroughoutthesubstanceofhistalkthesamemodeofthought，thesameimaginativegraspofnature，thesamefinenessandgentlenessinhisviewofcharacter，thesameforbearanceandtoleration，theaureamediocritasdespisedbyfoolsandfanatics，whicharestampedonhispoetry，wereconstantlyperceptible:whilstintheeasyandasitwereunsoughtchoiceness，theconscientiousandtruth-lovingprecisionofhiswords，thesamepersonalidentityrevealeditself。Whatastrangecharmlayhere，howdeeplyilluminatingthewholecharacter，asinprolongedintercourseitgraduallyrevealeditself!Artistandman，Tennysonwasinvariablytruetohimself，orrather，inWordsworth"sphrase，he"movedaltogether"；hisnatureandhispoetrybeingharmoniousaspectsofthesamesoul；asbotaniststellusthatflowerandfruitarebuttransformationsofrootandstemandleafage。Wereadhow，inmediaevaldays，conduitsweremadetoflowwithclaret。
Butthiswasongreatoccasionsonly。Tennyson"sfountainalwaysranwine。
Oncemore:InMme。Recamier"ssalon，Ihaveread，atthetimewhenconversationwasyetafineartinParis，guestsfamousforespritwouldsitinthetwilightroundthestove，whilsteachinturnletflysomesparklinganecdoteorbon-mot，whichroseandshoneanddiedoutintosilence，tillthenextoftheelectpyrotechnistswasready。
Goodthingsofthiskind，asIhavesaid，wereplentifulinTennyson"srepertory。Butwhat，topassfromthematerialstothemethodofhisconversation，eminentlymarkeditwasthecontinuityoftheelectriccurrent。Hespoke，andwassilent，andspokeagain:
butthecircuitwasunbroken；therewasnoeffortintakingupthethread，nosenseofdisjunction。OftenIthought，hadheneverwrittenalineofthepoemssodeartous，hisconversationalonewouldhavemadehimthemostinterestingcompanionknowntome。Fromthisgreatandgraciousstudentofhumanity，whatless，indeed，couldbeexpected？Andif，asaconverser，IweretocomparehimwithSocrates，asfiguredforusinthedialoguesofhisgreatdisciple，I
thinkthatIshouldhavetheassentofthateminentlyvaluedfriendofTennyson"s，whoselonglabouroflovehasconferredEnglishcitizenshipuponPlato。
Wehavecalledhimshyandsensitiveindailyintercoursewithstrangers，andastocriticism，hefreelyconfessedthatamidgeofdispraisecouldsting，whileapplausegavehimlittlepleasure。Yetnopoetalteredhisversessomuchinobediencetocensureunjustlyorirritatinglystated，yetinessencejust。Hereadilyrejectedsomeofhis"Juvenilia"onMrPalgrave"ssuggestion。Thesamefriendtellshowwellhetookaratherfierceattackonanunpublishedpiece，whenMrPalgrave"ownedthathecouldnotfindonegoodlineinit。"Veryfewpoets，orevenversifiers(fiercertheythanpoetsare)，wouldhavecontinuedtoshowtheirvirginnumberstoafriendsocandid，asTennysondid。Perhapsmostofthegenusirritabilewillgrantthatspokencriticism，ifunfavourable，somehowannoysandstirsoppositioninanauthor；probablybecauseitconfirmshisownsuspicionsabouthiswork。Suchcriticismisalmostinvariablyjust。
ButCampbell，whenRogersofferedacorrection，"bouncedoutoftheroom，witha"Hangit!Ishouldliketoseethemanwhowoulddaretocorrectme。""
MrJowettjustlyrecognisedinthelifeofTennysontwocircumstanceswhichmadehimotherthan，butforthese，hewouldhavebeen。HehadintendedtodowiththeArthuriansubjectwhatheneverdid，"insomewayorothertohaverepresentedinitthegreatreligionsoftheworld……ItisaproofofTennyson"sgeniusthatheshouldhavethusearlygraspedthegreathistoricalaspectofreligion。"Hisintentionwasfoiled，hisearlydreamwasbroken，bythedeathofArthurHallam，andbythecoldnessandcontemptwithwhich，atthesameperiod，hisearlypoemswerereceived。
MrJowett(whohadafirmbeliefinthe"greatwork")regrettedthechangeofplanastotheArthuriantopic，regretteditthemorefromhisowninterestintheHistoryofReligion。Butweneednotsharetheregrets。TheearlyplanfortheArthur(whichMrJowettneversaw)hasbeenpublished，andcertainlytheschemecouldnothavebeenexecutedontheselines。{18}Moreover，astheMasterobserved，theworkwouldhavebeenprematureinTennyson"syouth，and，indeed，itwouldstillbepremature。Thecomparativescienceofreligiousevolutionisevennowverytentative，anddoesnotyieldmaterialsofsufficientstabilityforanepic，evenifsuchanepiccouldbeforcedintothemouldoftheArthurlegends，afeatperhapsimpossible，andcertainlyundesirable。Atrulyfantasticallegorymusthavebeentheresult，anditisfortunatethatthepoetabandonedtheideainfavourofmorehumanthemes。Moreover，herecognisedveryearlythathiswasnotaMusedelonguehaleine；thathemustbe"short。"Wemaythereforefeelcertainthathisearlysorrowanddiscouragementweresalutarytohimasapoet，andasaman。Hebecamemoresympathetic，moretender，andwasobligedtoputforththatstoicalself-control，andstrenuouscourageandendurance，throughwhichalonehispoeticcareerwasrenderedpossible。"Hehadthesusceptibilityofachildorawoman，"sayshisfriend；"hehadalso"(itwasastrangecombination)"thestrengthofagiantorofagod。"Withoutthesequalitieshemusthavebrokendownbetween1833
and1842intoahypochondriac，oramorose，ifmajestic，failure。
Poor，obscure，andunhappy，heovercametheworld，andpassedfromdarknessintolight。The"poetictemperament"inanothernotgiftedwithhisenduranceandpersistentstrengthwouldhaveachievedruin。
MostofusrememberTaine"sparallelbetweenTennysonandAlfreddeMusset。TheFrenchcritichasnohighapprovalofTennyson"s"respectability"andlongpeacefullife，ascomparedwiththewreckedlifeandgeniusofMusset，l"enfantperduoflove，wine，andsong。
Thisisatheorylikeanother，andisperhapsattractivetotheyoung。Thepoetmusthavestrongpassions，orhowcanhesingofthem:hemustbetossedandwhirledinthestressofthings，likeShelley"sautumnleaves；-
"Ghostsfromanenchanterfleeing。"
LookingatBurns，Byron，Musset，orevenatShelley"searlieryears，youthseesinthemthetruepoets，"sacredthings，"butalso"light，"
asPlatosays，inspiredtobreaktheirwingsagainstthenatureofexistence，andtheflammantiamaeniamundi。Butthisisalmostaboyishidea，thisideathatthetruepoetistheslaveofthepassions，andthatthepoetwhodominatesthemhasnone，andisbutastaiddomesticanimal，anassbrowsingthecommon，assomebodyhaswrittenaboutWordsworth。CertainlyTennyson"swasno"passionlessperfection。"He，likeothers，wastemptedtobeatwithineffectualwingsagainsttheinscrutablenatureoflife。He，too，hadhisdarkhour，andwasassubjecttotemptationastheywhoyieldedtothestressanddied，orbecameunhappywaifs，"youngmenwithasplendidpast。"Hemusthaveknown，nolessthanMusset，theattractionsofmanyaparadisartificiel，withitsbrightvisions，itshouris，itsoffersofoblivionofpain。"Hehadthelookofonewhohadsufferedgreatly，"MrPalgravewritesinhisrecordoftheirfirstmeetingin1842。Buthe，likeGoethe，Scott，andVictorHugo，hadstrengthaswellaspassionandemotion；hecameunscorchedthroughthefirethathasburnedawaythewingsofsomanyothergreatpoets。Thiswasnolessfortunatefortheworldthanforhimself。Ofhisprolongeddarkhourweknowlittleindetail，butwehaveseenthatfromthefirstheresistedtheTempter；UlyssesishisRetroSathanas!
About"themechanismofgenius"inTennysonMrPalgravehastoldusalittle；moreappearsincidentallyinhisbiography。"Itwashiswaythatwhenwehadenteredonsomesceneofspecialbeautyorgrandeur，afterenjoyingittogether，heshouldalwayswithdrawwhollyfromsight，andstudytheview，asitwere，inalittleartificialsolitude。"
Tennyson"spoems，MrPalgravesays，oftenaroseinakindofpointderepere(likethoseformsandlandscapeswhichseemtospringfromafloatingpointoflight，beheldwithclosedeyesjustbeforewesleep)。"Morethanoncehesaidthathispoemssprangoftenfroma"nucleus，"someoneword，maybe，orbriefmelodiousphrase，whichhadfloatedthroughthebrain，asitwere，unbidden。Andperhapsatoncewhilewalkingtheywerepresentlywroughtintoalittlesong。Butifhedidnotwriteitdownatoncethelyricfledfromhimirrecoverably。"Hebelievedhimselfthustohavelostpoemsasgoodashisbest。Itseemsprobablethatthisisacommongenesisofverses，goodorbad，amongallwhowrite。LikeDickens，andlikemostmenofgeniusprobably，hesawallthescenesofhispoems"inhismind"seye。"Manyauthorsdothis，withoutthepowerofmakingtheirreaderssharethevision；butprobablyfewcanimpartthevisionwhodonotthemselves"visualise"withdistinctness。Wehaveseen，inthecasesofTheHolyGrailandotherpieces，thatTennyson，afterlongmeditatingasubject，oftenwroteveryrapidly，andwithlittleneedofcorrection。Hewasbornwith"style"；itwasagiftofhisgeniusratherthantheresultofconsciouselaboration。Yethediduse"thefile，"ofwhichmuchisnowwritten，especiallyforthepurposeofpolishingawaythesibilants，socommoninourlanguage。Inthenineyearsofsilencewhichfollowedthelittlebookof1833hispoemsmatured，andhenceforthitisprobablethathealteredhisverseslittle，ifweexceptthemodificationsinThePrincess。Manyslightverbaltouchesweremade，oroldreadingswererestored，butimportantchanges，inthewayofomissionoraddition，becamerare。
OfnatureTennysonwasscrupulouslyobservanttillhisverylatestdays，eagerlynoting，notonly"effects，"asapainterdoes，buttheircauses，botanicalorgeological。Hadmanbeenscientificfromthebeginninghewouldprobablyhaveevolvednopoetryatall；
materialthingswouldnothavebeenendowedbyhimwithlifeandpassion；hewouldhavetoldhimselfnostoriesoftheoriginsofstarsandflowers，cloudsandfire，windsandrainbows。Modernpoetshaveresented，likeKeatsandWordsworth，thedestructionoftheoldprehistoricdreamsbythegeologistandbyotherscientificcharacters。ButitwaspartofTennyson"spoeticoriginalitytoseethebeautifulthingsofnatureatoncewiththevisionofearlypoeticmen，andofmodernsaccustomedtothemicroscope，telescope，spectrumanalysis，andsoforth。ThusTennysonreceivedadoubledelightfromthesensibleuniverse，anditisadoubledelightthathecommunicatestohisreaders。Hisintellectwasthusalwaysactive，eveninapparentrepose。Hiseyesrestednotfromobserving，orhismindfromrecordingandcomparing，thebeautifulfamiliarphenomenaofearthandsky。InthematterofthestudyofbookswehaveseenhowdeeplyversedhewasincertainoftheGreek，Roman，andItalianclassics。MrJowettwrites:"Hewaswhatmightbecalledagoodscholarintheuniversityorpublic-schoolsenseoftheterm，……yetIseemtorememberthathehadhisfavouriteclassics，suchasHomer，andPindar，andTheocritus……HewasalsoaloverofGreekfragments。ButIamnotsurewhether，inlaterlife，heeversatdowntoreadconsecutivelythegreatestworksofAEschylusandSophocles，althoughheusedoccasionallytodipintothem。"TheGreekdramatists，infact，seemtohaveaffectedTennyson"sworkbutslightly，whileheconstantlyremindsusofVirgil，Homer，Theocritus，andevenPersiusandHorace。MediaevalFrench，whetherinpoetryorprose，andthepoetryofthe"Pleiad"
seemstohaveoccupiedlittleofhisattention。Intotheorientalliteratureshedipped——prettydeeplyforhisAkbar；andevenhisLocksleyHallowedsomethingtoSirWilliamJones"sversionof"theoldArabianMoallakat。"Thedebtappearstobeinfinitesimal。HeseemstohavebeenlesscloselyfamiliarwithElizabethanpoetrythanmighthavebeenexpected:anumberofhisobiterdictaonallkindsofliterarypointsarerecordedintheLifebyMrPalgrave。"SirWalterScott"sshorttale，MyAuntMargaret"sMirror(howlittleknown!)，heoncespokeofasthefinestofallghostormagicalstories。"LordTennysonadds，"TheTapestriedChamberalsohegreatlyadmired。"BotharelostfrommodernviewamongtheshortpiecesofthelastvolumesoftheWaverleynovels。Ofthepoet"sinterestinandattitudetowardsthemoreobscurepyschologicalandpsychicalproblems——topopularsciencefoolishness——enoughhasbeensaid，buttheremarksofProfessorTyndallhavenotbeencited:-
Myspecialpurposeinintroducingthispoem，however，wastocallyourattentiontoapassagefurtheronwhichgreatlyinterestedme。
Thepoemis，throughout，adiscussionbetweenabelieverinimmortalityandonewhoisunabletobelieve。Themethodpursuedisthis。TheSagereadsaportionofthescroll，whichhehastakenfromthehandsofhisfollower，andthenbringshisownargumentstobearuponthatportion，withaviewtoneutralisingthescepticismoftheyoungerman。LetmehereremarkthatIreadthewholeseriesofpoemspublishedunderthetitle"Tiresias，"fullofadmirationfortheirfreshnessandvigour。SevenyearsafterIhadfirstreadthemyourfatherdied，andyou，hisson，askedmetocontributeachaptertothebookwhichyoucontemplatepublishing。IknewthatIhadsomesmallstoreofreferencestomyinterviewwithyourfathercarefullywritteninancientjournals。Onthereceiptofyourrequest，I
lookeduptheaccountofmyfirstvisittoFarringford，andthere，tomyprofoundastonishment，Ifounddescribedthatexperienceofyourfather"swhich，inthemouthoftheAncientSage，wasmadethegroundofanimportantargumentagainstmaterialismandinfavourofpersonalimmortalityeight-and-twentyyearsafterwards。Innootherpoemduringalltheseyearsis，tomyknowledge，thisexperienceoncealludedto。Ihadcompletelyforgottenit，buthereitwasrecordedinblackandwhite。Ifyouturntoyourfather"saccountofthewonderfulstateofconsciousnesssuperinducedbythinkingofhisownname，andcompareitwiththeargumentoftheAncientSage，youwillseethattheyrefertooneandthesamephenomenon。
Andmore，myson!formorethanoncewhenI
Satallalone，revolvinginmyselfThewordthatisthesymbolofmyself，ThemortallimitoftheSelfwasloosed，AndpastintotheNameless，asacloudMeltsintoheaven。Itouch"dmylimbs，thelimbsWerestrange，notmine——andyetnoshadeofdoubt，Bututterclearness，andthro"lossofSelfThegainofsuchlargelifeasmatch"dwithoursWereSuntospark——unshadowableinwords，Themselvesbutshadowsofashadow-world。
AnywordsaboutTennysonasapoliticianareapttoexcitethesleeplessprejudicewhichhauntsthepoliticalfield。Heprobably，ifforcedto"putanametoit，"wouldhavecalledhimselfaLiberal。
Buthewasnotasocialagitator。Heneversetarickonfire。"Heheldaloof，inasomewhatdetachedposition，fromthegreatsocialseethingsofhisage"(MrFredericHarrison)。Butinyouthhehelpedtoextinguishsomeflamingricks。Hespokeofthe"many-headedbeast"(thereadingpublic)intermsborrowedfromPlato。HehadnohigheresteemformobsthanShakespeareorJohnKnoxprofessed，whilehistheoryoftyrants(inthecaseofNapoleonIII。about1852)wasthatofLiberalslikeMrSwinburneandVictorHugo。ThoughtomodernenlightenmentTennysonmayseemasgreataToryasDrJohnson，yethehadspokenhiswordin1852forthefreedomofFrance，andforsecuringEnglandagainstthesupposeddesignsofausurper(nowfallen)。Hereallybelieved，obsoleteasthefaithmaybe，inguardingourown，bothonlandandsea。PerhapsnoContinentalorAmericancritichaseveryetdispraisedapoeticalfellow-countrymanmerelyforurgingthedutiesofnationalunionandnationaldefence。
Acritic，however，writesthusofTennyson:"Whenourpoetdescendsintothearenaofpartypolemics，insuchthingsasRiflemen，Form!
HandsallRound，……TheFleet，andothertopicalpiecesdeartotheJingosoul，itisnotpoetrybutjournalism。"IdoubtwhetherthedesirablenessoftheexistenceofavolunteerforceandofafleetreallyiswithinthearenaofPARTYpolemics。Ifanypartythinksthatweoughttohavenovolunteers，andthatitisourdutytostarvethefleet，whatisthatparty"sname？Whocries，"DownwiththeFleet!DownwithNationalDefence!HoorayfortheDisintegrationoftheEmpire!"？
Tennysonwasnotapartyman，buthecertainlywouldhaveopposedanysuchparty。IftodefendourhomesandthisEnglandbe"Jingoism，"
Tennyson，likeShakespeare，wasaJingo。But，alas!IdonotknowthenameofthepartywhichopposesTennyson，andwhichwishestheinvadertotrampledownEngland——anyinvaderwilldoforsophilanthropicapurpose。Exceptwhenresistingthisunnamedparty，thepoetseldomorneverentered"thearenaofpartypolemics。"
Tennysoncouldnothaveexclaimed，likeSquireWestern，"HurrahforoldEngland!TwentythousandhonestFrenchmenhavelandedinKent!"
Heundeniablydidwriteverses(whetherpoetryorjournalism)tendingtomakereaderstakeanunfavourableviewofhonestinvaders。Iftodothatistobea"Jingo，"andifsuchconducthurtsthefeelingsofanygreatEnglishparty，thenTennysonwasaJingoandapartisan，andwas，sofar，arhymester，likeMrKipling。IndeedweknowthatTennysonapplaudedMrKipling"sTheEnglishFlag。Sotheworstisout，asweinEnglandcounttheworst。InAmericaandonthecontinentofEurope，however，apoetmaybeproudofhiscountry"sflagwithoutincurringrebukefromhiscountrymen。Tennysondidnotreckonhimselfapartyman；hebelievedmoreinpoliticalevolutionthaninpoliticalrevolution，withcataclysms。HewasneitheranAnarchistnoraHomeRuler，norapoliticiansogenerousastowishEnglandtobelaiddefencelessatthefeetofherfoes。
Ifthesesentimentsdeservecensure，inTennyson，atleast，theyclaimourtolerance。HewasnotborninagenerationlateenoughtobetrulyLiberal。Oldprejudicesabout"thisEngland，"oldwordsfromHenryV。andKingJohn，hauntedhismemoryanddarkenedhisvisionofthetrueproportionsofthings。Wedrawinprejudicewithourmother"smilk。ThemotherofTennysonhadnotbeenanAgnosticoraComtist；hisfatherhadnotbeenastaunchtrue-blueanti-
Englander。Thusheinheritedacertainbiasinfavouroffaithandfatherland，abiasfromwhichhecouldneveremancipatehimself。Buttoutcomprendrec"esttoutpardonner。HadTennyson"sbirthbeenlater，wemightfindinhimamorecompleterealisationofourpoeticideal——mighthavedetectedlesstoblameortoforgive。
WiththatapologywemustleavethefameofTennysonasapoliticiantotheclementconsiderationofanenlightenedposterity。Idonotdefendhisnarrowinsularities，hisJingoism，ortheappreciablepercentageoffaithwhichblushinganalysismaydetectinhishonestdoubt:thesethingsImayregretorcondemn，butweoughtnottoletthemobscureourviewofthePoet。Hewasledawaybybadexamples。
OfallJingoesShakespeareisthemostunashamed，andnexttohimareDrayton，Scott，andWordsworth，withhis"Oh，foronehourofthatDundee!"
IntheyearswhichfollowedtheuntowardaffairofWaterlooyoungTennysonfellmuchundertheinfluenceofShakespeare，Wordsworth，andtheotheroffenders，andtheseareextenuatingcircumstances。Byacuriouspracticalparadox，wheretherealmsofpoetryandpoliticsmeet，theTorycriticsseemmilderofmoodandmoreLiberalthantheLiberalcritics。ThusMrWilliamMorriswascertainlyaveryadvancedpoliticaltheorist；andintheologyMrSwinburnehaswrittenthingsnoteasilyreconcilablewithorthodoxy。YetwefindDivine-
RightTories，whoinliteratureareferventadmirersofthesetwopoets，andleavetheirheterodoxiesoutofaccount。ButmanyLiberalcriticsappearunablequitetoforgiveTennysonbecausehedidnotwishtostarvethefleet，andbecauseheheldcertainveryancient，ifobsolete，beliefs。Perhapsageneralamnestyoughttobepassed，asfaraspoetsareconcerned，andtheirpoliticsandcreedsshouldbelefttosilence，where"beyondthesevoicesthereispeace。"
Oneremark，Ihope，canexcitenoprejudice。ThegreatestoftheGordonswasasoldier，andlivedinreligion。ButthepointatwhichTennyson"smemoryisblendedwiththatofGordonisthepointofsympathywiththeneglectedpoor。Itistohiswiseadvice，andtoaffectionforGordon，thatweowetheGordontrainingschoolforpoorboys，——agoodschool，andgoodboyscomeoutofthatacademy。
ThequestionastoTennyson"spreciserankinthegloriousrollofthePoetsofEnglandcanneverbedeterminedbyus，ifinanycaseoratanytimesuchdeterminationscanbemade。Wedonot，orshouldnot，askwhetherVirgilorLucretius，whetherAEschylusorSophocles，isthegreaterpoet。TheconsentofmankindseemstoplaceHomerandShakespeareandDantehighaboveall。Fortherestnoprize-listcanbesettled。Ifinfluenceamongaliensisthetest，Byronprobablytakes，amongourpoets，thenextrankafterShakespeare。Butprobablythereisnopossibletest。IncertainrespectsShelley，inmanyrespectsMilton，insomeColeridge，insomeBurns，intheopinionofanumberofpersonsBrowning，aregreaterpoetsthanTennyson。ButforexquisitevarietyandvariedexquisitenessTennysonisnotreadilytobesurpassed。Atonemomenthepleasestheuncriticalmassofreaders，inanothermoodhewinstheverdictoftheraffine。ItisasuccesswhichscarceanyEnglishpoetbutShakespearehasexcelled。Hisfaultshaverarely，ifever，beenthoseofflat-footed，"thick-ankled"dulness；ofrhetoric，ofcommon-
place；ratherhavehisdefectsbeentheexcessofhisqualities。A
kindofJohnBullishnessmayalsobenoted，especiallyinderogatoryreferencestoFrance，which，trueoruntrue，areoutoftasteandkeeping。Buttheseerrorscouldberemovedbytheexcisionofhalf-
a-dozenlines。Hislaterwork(astheVoyageofMaeldune)showsajustappreciationofancientCelticliterature。Agreatcritic，F。
T。Palgrave，hasexpressedperhapsthesoundestappreciationofTennyson:-
Itisfor"thedaysthatremain"tobearwitnesstohisrealplaceinthegreathierarchy，amongstwhomDanteboldlyyetjustlyrankedhimself。ButifwelookatTennyson"sworkinatwofoldaspect，——
HERE，ontheexquisiteartinwhich，throughout，hisverseisclothed，thelucidbeautyoftheform，themelodyalmostaudibleasmusic，themysteriousskillbywhichthewordsusedconstantlystrikeastheINEVITABLEwords(andhence，unforgettable)，thesubtleallusivetouches，bywhichasecondaryimageissuggestedtoenrichtheleadingthought，astheharmonic"partials"giverichnesstothenotestruckuponthestring；THERE，whenwethinkofthevastfertilityinsubjectandtreatment，unitedwithhappyselectionofmotive，thewiderangeofcharacter，thedramaticforceofimpersonation，thepathosineveryvariety，themasteryoverthecomicandthetragicalike，aboveall，perhaps，thosephrasesofluminousinsightwhichspringdirectfromimaginativeobservationofHumanity，trueforalltime，comingfromthehearttotheheart，——hisworkwillprobablybefoundtoliesomewherebetweenthatofVirgilandShakespeare:havingitsportion，ifImayventureonthephrase，intheinspirationofboth。
AprofessedenthusiastforTennysoncanaddnothingto，andtakenothingfrom，thesewordsofonewho，thoughhisfriend，wastootrulyacritictoentertaintheadmirationthatgoesbeyondidolatry。